Galería de Convalecientes in de Jardines de los Frailes bij het Escorial 1863 - 1883

Curator: Here we have "Galería de Convalecientes in de Jardines de los Frailes bij het Escorial", a photograph taken between 1863 and 1883 by Juan Laurent. It’s an albumen print depicting the gardens of El Escorial, now held in the Rijksmuseum collection. Editor: It's like stepping into a sepia-toned dream. There's such stillness, almost melancholy, radiating from those weathered stones and reflecting pool. It feels profoundly… distant. Curator: Distance, yes, and perhaps calculated. Laurent’s architectural photography was key to documenting and, in a way, consuming, Spanish heritage and material culture for a growing international audience. Albumen prints were made using a process that fixed the image with egg whites—linking material processes with commercial potential. Editor: Egg whites, fascinating! So, it's history sandwiched between eggshells, I like that. You’re reminding me that this idyllic view served a purpose, more than just pleasing the eye. It’s easy to forget, looking at that tranquil water. It's such a precisely structured composition. Curator: Indeed, look at the placement. The rigid architecture is clearly structured with this purpose. And don’t forget that Laurent's workshop also employed numerous staff producing images in huge quantity. Think about that labour and industrialisation, crucial to appreciating images like this. Editor: It does change things to think of the photographer and the many hands needed. All this technicality almost feels like magic. It’s less about an artist's single vision and more about this complex collaboration that transcends time, giving us access to this space and… their story. Curator: Precisely, a collective material narrative woven into the print itself. It highlights the tension of romanticism and industrialization occurring. Editor: It's funny; knowing all of this layers another ghostly presence on the image. Curator: Yes. An important reminder that even seemingly transparent views have deeply rooted material origins and purpose.